LHC declares auction of DTH licensing null and void

LAHORE (92 News) – The Lahore High Court has on Wednesday declared the auction of Direct-to-Home service (DTH) licensing by Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), null and void. A three-member bench of the LHC comprising of Justice Ayesha A Malik, Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh and Shahid Kareem heard the case against DTH licensing by PEMRA. The court declared old bidding illegal and directed the concerned authorities to again hold bidding process for the issuance of license. The court further said that the broadcaster can also become a distributor. In November, the PEMRA had auctioned three DTH licenses for Rs 14.69 billion. As many as 11 out of 12 short listed companies participated in the bidding process.